FX’s new dramedy Kidding, starring Jim Carrey, is a reminder that when he isn’t churning out satirical political paintings, he’s still a darn good actor.

Carrey reteams with his Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind director Michel Gondry for the poignant story of Jeff Pickles, the host of Mr Pickles’ Puppet Time, a beloved children’s TV show, whose life is coming apart at the seams after a family tragedy.

Every day, he finds it harder and harder to put on a happy face to do his job. Then he has a Jerry Maguire moment: He wants to do an episode about death. “Kids know the sky is blue,” Jeff says. “They need to know when it’s falling.”

But his producer/father (Frank Langella) is against the idea. As a person, Jeff is allowed to mourn, but as a personality representing “a $112 million licencing industry”, he’s not allowed to.

Kidding is more than just a show about how a children’s programme is run, it’s also a meditation on loss and loneliness, and to see Carrey trying to turn Jeff’s frown into a smile is funny and heartbreaking. Can he turn his breakdown to a breakthrough? Keep watching.